It has become an annual tradition for viewers in San Francisco and around the world to wake up Sunday morning of Pride weekend and watch the city's Pride parade from the comfort of their living room.
Clear Channel airs the Pride broadcast on KOFY TV20-Cable 13 and estimates that half a million people watch the online simulcast. Last year's broadcast earned its first Northern California Emmy Award nomination.
The ringmaster of the broadcast for the last seven years has been host Michelle Meow. And by her side for six of those years has been drag queen Donna Sachet, the Bay Area Reporter's society columnist.
The pair's on-air camaraderie is so beloved that when Sachet was not invited back to host in 2009 �" her replacement Jai Rodriguez, of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy fame, ended up offending viewers with his commentary �" it caused a public backlash.
The following year Sachet and Meow were reunited, with Meow dressed as Sachet, and they have been co-hosting the parade coverage ever since.
"She is so easy to work with and she has tremendous respect for what I bring to the table," said Sachet. "She has really matured over the years ... I like our rhythm, we make fun but are not disparaging."
The popularity of the broadcast, said Sachet, has a lot to do with Meow's sincerity and love for the local LGBT community.
"She is a champion of the community," she said. "I love working with her."
Meow's outgoing personality in front of the cameras hides a secret. Off camera she is incredibly reserved, cringing during an interview with the Bay Area Reporter at the thought of being profiled in the paper.
"I am such a shy person socially," admitted Meow, 32, who lives in Emeryville with her partner of two years, Jackie Chiang. "But behind the microphone I have an opportunity to get to know a person by asking them questions."
She is taking on more of a leadership role off the air by becoming even more involved with the city's Pride celebrations. In February Meow joined the board of the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee.
"I am at an age now where Pride is not just about the parties and celebrating. I was searching for a more meaningful way to give back to my community," she said. "I see so many people my age take the celebration for granted. I don't want to lose that. By being part of the Pride board I want to help connect different generations."
She has enjoyed the behind-the-scenes work but allowed it has required a big commitment of her time.
"I am not going to lie, it is a lot of work and has cut into my social life," said Meow. "But it is all worth it. The current Pride board is going in the direction it needs to be."
She joked that she likes "the bitching at the meetings. It makes up for the reality shows I am missing."
Started in commercials
Born Michelle Sinhbandith, Meow grew up in Stockton in California's Central Valley. Her parents moved from Thailand in the 1970s as part of a wave of immigrants fleeing communist regimes in Southeast Asia.
Her father died from a cerebral aneurism within two years, and her mom raised her and her four siblings �" Meow is the middle child �" by working at a doughnut shop. Meow would help out on weekends, arriving at 3 a.m. with her mom to start baking the doughnuts.
At 17 she went to work for a local production company, working on local advertisements and commercials. After earning a broadcast degree in electronic communications from San Francisco State University in 2004, Meow landed an internship with Clear Channel.
She was assigned to help with the radio show Queer Channel that several gay staffers oversaw and aired on the company's 960 AM station.
"The only way the program was going to survive was if it had funding. They hired me to do sales," recalled Meow. "I found the funding for it at the local level."
Within four years Meow decided to take over the program on her own and rebranded it as Swirl. Not only responsible for raising money, she also was in charge of content for the program, which debuted in November 2008.
"It was apparent it was never going to be financially supported by the company," she said. "It's a continuation of what I was doing with Clear Channel under different names. But it was me stepping away from the Clear Channel umbrella."
The hourlong shows air Saturdays at 7 p.m. on 960 AM and are available online at http://www.swirlcast.com/. Clear Channel estimates the radio broadcast attracts 90,000 listeners, though Meow finds the number "hard to believe."
Each show features a "colorful cast of voices," i.e. contributors, said Meow, including segments by Simma "The Inclusionist" Lieberman and Eugene "TaviB" Gragg. At their heart are interviews Meow conducts with LGBT newsmakers and community leaders.
"The show I always wanted to be interview based," she said.
Her first sponsorship, at $25,000, was from New York Life, which allowed Meow to buy airtime and cover production costs. The company continues to sponsor, alongside H&R Block, Kaiser Permanente, the Pacific Fertility Center, and Weatherford BMW in Berkeley.
"Our advertisers really like the content we produce and put out there," said Meow.
After Clear Channel changed the format of 960 AM to conservative talk radio, tagged the Patriot, Meow was given the choice to remain on the station or opt to go elsewhere. She stayed put.
"If we could teach conservative people about LGBT lives so be it," she said. "We haven't received any hate mail or responses to get off the air, so I consider that a good thing."
In April last year Meow debuted the monthly Swirl TV program also centered on interviews. KOFY TV, where it airs, approached Meow after hearing her radio show and seeing her participation in the Pride broadcast.
Viewership has steadily increased, said Meow, who also posts the shows online for anyone to watch.
"It will never be an Ellen or get the credibility of Logo or the Advocate, but we know it is making an impact here locally," she said.
Full disclosure: Matthew S. Bajko provides the weekly news segments for the Swirl radio broadcasts under a partnership between the Bay Area Reporter and Swirl Radio.